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(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2v S.D.LOUKE.

OAR COUPLING.

No. 358,465. I Patented Mar. 1,1887.

WITNE55E5= INVBNTUR the cap for the same.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SYLVANUS D. LOCKE, OF HOOSIOIC FALLS, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,465, dated March 1, 1887.

Application filed November 516, 1886. Serial No. 219,905.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SYLVANUS D. LOCKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hoosick Falls, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of couplers styled self-couplers, and has for its more particular object the improvement of the coupler patented by myself October 26, 1886.

My invention consists, first, in capping the gravity-support for the link described in that patent, so as to exclude water or other extraneous matter from entering the opening or mortise in the top of the draw-head, and so impeding or preventing action on the part of the support; second,in constructing the bracket-bearing for each end of the rock-shaft, by which the pin is lifted from engagement with the link, with a stop cast integral thereon to bound the movements of the levers that operate the shaft, so that the pin cannot escape from the draw-head while being lifted; third, in the employment of alocking device for holding up the pin after it has been withdrawn from the link that, when the levers have been moved against the stop that bounds their movements, automatically locks them against return; and, fourth, in such other combinations and details of construction as are hereinafter set forth and claimed.

That others skilled in the'art may make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the end of an ordinary freight-car with myimprovements attached. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the front end of the draw-head. Fig. 3 shows in detail in perspective the tables for holding the pin, the gravity-support for the link, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the car shown in Fig. 1 and from the same direction as in that figure, showing a modification of the mechanism for locking the levers 7c; and Fig. 5 is a top view of the locking mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, A represents the drawhead, B the pin, and G the link, the parts ordinarily attached to a car, D. The gravitysupport a swings on its trunnions a, and it and (No model.)

the tables a and b, for supporting the pin, are

similar to those shown and described in Patent No. 357,385,issucd to me October 26, 1886, to which patent reference is here made for a more particular description of their construction and operation.

To prevent rain, snow, and other extraneous matter from entering into the mortise in the draw-head alongside of the gravity support a and into the bearings of its trunnions a, I have devised and attached to the support a broad cap, 0, that, reaching out-on each side, covers all the upper approaches to the mortise and so effectually excluding foreign matter therefrom.

To avoid the use of screws, screw-studs, or bolts, and so greatly lessen the cost and labor of construction, I cast integral with the support a the conical frustum a as a pivot-stud for the table I). This table hasa hole, b, slightly conical, like the stud a and slightly larger than the stud cast therein. The stud being cast somewhat longer than the depth of the hole, the table I) can be readily and securely pivoted on the stud by heading down the end of the stud with a few blows of aharnmer. In the same way I secure, with only the labor of a few blows of a hammer, the cap 0 to the support a by casting the conical studs a integral With the support, and also casting the conical orifices a in the cap to fit thereon.

As in the patent above referred to, the pin B is joined at its top, by a connecting-link, g,

to the end of the arm 71, reaching out from the middle of a rockshaft, t, horizontally sup ported along the end of the car. bent at right angles at each end to form handles k, reaching back on each side of the car, and is supported at each end in a bracketbearing, 2, secured to the face or side of the car.

To prevent the pin from being thrown out of the draw-head in lifting it from engagement with the link, I provide a stop to bound within the limits of safety the movements of the le vers 7c, and to prevent their being carelessly misplaced in construction or accidentally displaced in operation I cast this stop mintegral with the bracket-bearing Z of the shaft 1'. By

this means, through the levers k, the pin can readily be lifted out of the link, but never fully withdrawn from the draw-head.

To lift the pin from the top of the car, I em- This shaft is ploy a rod, 0, that is attached by ashortchain, p, to the arm h, and runs through the end of a bracketsupport, 1', attached near the top of the car, and terminates in a loop or hand-hold, q, just below the top of the running-board s. The use of the chainp is twofold: first, it prevents the weight of the rod from ever affecting the working or operation of the pin; second, it enables the hand-hold to be always held just below and close to the top of the running-board. \Vere the rod joined directly to the arm h the hand-hold would either be a part of the time above the running-board, and so liable to trip the brakcnien, or the balance of the time it would be at an inconvenient distance below it.

By swinging the lever 7. down against the stop at the pin is withdrawn from the link 0 above the table I), when the latter swings as to its point under the pin and supports it, as shown in Fig. 2. Vhen the cars separate and the link is withdrawn, the supportaswings forward and drives back the table Z), so letting the pin down on the table a, as particularly described in the patent above referred to. In this position the pin is ready to couple, and will couple with a link on another car that is driven into the draw-head A.

To prevent the cars from coupling when it is desired they shall not couple, as when they are pushed along a track, I provide n1echanism for locking the lever is down against the stop at. One form of this locking mechanism is shown in Fig. 1, and consists of a simple pin, Z, attached by a chain to the car, and a hole, Z, in the side of the car, into which the pin is inserted above the lever. 3y withdrawing this pin the car is again ready to couple.

Another form ofloeki ng mechanism is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. This form is self-operating, and only requires the lever k to be forcibly moved down to the stop m to lock it, and to be forcibly moved up from the stop to unlock it. This form consists of a locking-ledge, l, on the bracket Z, having inclined faces or approaches, over and past which the lever k, or a spring, k, on the lever, crowds before it reaches the stop.

\Vhen a locking mechanism is used, the pin B is held up thereby, and not by the upper and secondary table, b, and when the lever k is unlocked the pin falls directly upon the table a on the gravity'support, where it remains until alink is driven into the drawhead and pushes back this table, when the pin falls within and engages with the link.

What I claim is- 1. In a car-coupler, the pivoted gravitysupport a, constructed with a cap, 0, for excluding foreign matter from the draw-head, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-head having a mortise or chamber opening therein from the top, with pivoted pinand-link-supporting devices, the latter having a cap for excluding foreign material from the draw-head, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupler, the gravity-support a, having studs a cast integral thereon, combined with a cap, 0, having holes 0 cast therethrough, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a car-coupler, a gravity-support, a, having a pivot-stud, a", cast integral thereon, and combined with the secondary table I), having a hole cast therethrough, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a car-coupler, the rod 0, for lifting the pin to uncouple, terminating as to its upper end in a hand hole, q, supported on the bracket 1' below the top of the running-board 8, combined with the pin, and an intermediate connecting-chain, 19, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The bracket Z, provided with the bearing for the rock-shaft i, and having the stop at, for limiting the liftingmovement of the lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In a car-coupler, a draw-head having link-and-pin coupling devices, a rock-shaft horizontally supported along the end of the car, and having a central arm joined to the top of the pin, and at each end levers for lifting the pin, and stops within the paths of the levers for limiting the lifting movement of the levers, and a locking mechanism for holding the levers against the stops, the combination being substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. In acar-coupler, a rock-shaft, z, havinga lever, in, for disengaging the coupling device, a stop, m, for limiting the movement of the lever, and alocking-ledge, Z for locking the lever against the stop, combined substantially as and for the purpose described, and with or without the spring k.

SYLVANUS D. LOOKE.

Vvitnesses:

E. J. Looms, ADDISON GETTY. 

